Apparatus for the supply of fuel gas mixture to the cylinders of internal combustion engines



Feb. 9, 1932. 1.. THOMAS 1,844,192

APPARATUS FOR THE SUPPLY OF FUEL GAS MIXTURE TO THE CYLINDERS OFINTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March 21. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. l. Thomas A TTORNEYS.

Feb. 9, 1932. THOMAS 1,844,192

APPARATUS FOR THE SUPPLY OF FUEL GAS MIXTURE To THE CYLINDERS OFINTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March 21. 1927 3 Shgets-Sheet 2 17 6as E 2;

. l 25 I I ATTORNE 5. Wm 9 Feb. 9, 1932. THQMAS 1,844,192

APPARATUS FOR THE SUPPLY OF FUEL GAS MIXTURE TO THE CYLINDERS OFINTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March 21 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 jINVENTORI L. Thomas A TTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT orries LOUIS THOMAS, orIBILLANCOURT, FRANCE, assrenon 'ro PAUL coun'r, FRANCE VIET', or BILLAN;

APPARATUS FOR, THE SUPPLY OF FUEL GAS MIX TUBE TO THE CYLINDEBSOFINTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Application filed March 21, 1927, Serial No.177,158, and in France March 29,1926.

My invention relates to an apparatus for the supplyof a fuel gasmixture, which may be secured to the cylinders of an internal combustionengine for starting purposes, and

' comprises a very accurate device for regulating the fuel admissionorifice as well as the fuel control orifices. In the said gas supply orcontrol apparatus, the valve plate or disk is actuated by means of anannular member which is provided with internal and external the annularmember provided with projections. The said spring may be of thecompression type and thus composed of wire wound in a spiral, or .of theflexion type, formed of thin strips. The recesses cap nut H 7 2 whichefiects the tight closing of the upper orifice in the valve disk, isstopped upon the said disk by an axle or pin provided with a head andguided in a thick web or two thin v webs formed on the said cap, and thesaid i 30. pin is inserted into one of the holes which are pierced inthe said valve disk in the concentric position, or is placed in contactwith the angles of a polygon which is formed in a flange of the saidvalve disk, for example. The said axle is held in. place by a split pin,but it might be held by other means, for instance it may be split at thepart opposite the head and the two ends separated, so that c the latterwill abut against the said valve tudinal displacement, 'or I may employfor this purpose an ordinary split min. To shorten the apparatus, theabove-mentioned rotatable axle may be actuated by means of a joint ofthe Oldham type comprising a fiat tran verse portion, and the two fiatbranches of the main driving shaft and of the said axle of the valvedisk are inserted into recesses in a disk having a cross-shapedaperture.

disk and will thus hold it against any longicentre with abore whichserves to reduce its weight and especially to lubricate the severaljointed parts concerned in the adjustment of the valve disk' as well asthe flat part or base of the said disk in friction contact with the mainbody of the valve apparatus, by withdrawing oil or oil vapor from theengine itself.

have no effect upon the f valve device but allow any unctioning of theliquid which may condense in the apparatus tov be discharged into theengine or tothe exterior.

The fuel or explosive gas mixture is delivered by a supply conduit anddistributed by the valve apparatus to conduits connected to cylinders ofthe engine which .is to be started. It is also the obje to provide meansfor actuatingan auxiliary ct of the invention apparatus, that is therotation of thecentral axis of the valve apparatus may be utilized toactuate a tachometer, or'on air-planes or the like, a machine gunactuated device;

In the appended drawings: j j Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the valveapparatus in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the valve disk. Fig. 3 is asectionalview of avalve apparatus with a double row of starting conduits. I

Fig. 4 shows a split pin. 7 Fig. 5 is a plan view of the valve apparatusshown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 6, v7 and 8 show details of the devices for securing the valvedisk to its central axle.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a valve apparatus of special constructioFigs. 10 and 11 relate to n. various details.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the valve apparatus shown in Fig. 9. Figs. 13and 14 show 111 odifications in the element which has ascrewdriverformat t'he top.

Fig. 19is a cross section of the inner actuating element'forming anabutment'for the cap. nut.

With reference to the said drawings, Figs. 1 and 3 show two small valvedevices in which the valve disk 1 comprises two mortised externalprojections 2 and an internal flange 3 serving to supporta spring 4which acts upon the apertured annular member or disk 5. In Fig. l, thecap-shaped nut 6 is locked :with referenceto thedisk 1 by a :pin 7 whichis guided .in one of the holes 9 which are disposed in a concentriccircular row upon the said cap or nut 6; the end of said pin is engagedin the circular recesses 8 1nthe said valve disk (Fig. 2).- Since thenumber of the holes 9' and ofthe recesses 8 is diflferent,

this allows a wide range of adjustment.

-The central'axle or spindle 10-is pierced with a largebore 11- ofleringa free passage for the oil'or oil vapor from the engine, and

- thus providing forthe oiling of the projections 2 and 12, and thebearing surface 13 of .the axle 10, and also, by centrifugal action, thecontact surface 14 of the valve diskl, this being furthered by thevacuum in the conduits 15 of the starter and the chamber 16 of the valveapparatus, during the functioning of the engine.

Fig. 3 relatesto a valve apparatus wlth a double row, of conduits forstartingpurposes,'the plug being arrested by a split pin 17 (Fig. 4)whose open ends abut againsta polygonal part 18 formedon theouter flangeof the valve disk 1 (Fig. 5-). The cylindrical compression spring 4 maybe replaced by one or moredisks19(Figs. 6 and 8) Whose-elastic branchesmay'have the straight form 19 or may be bent over several'times as shownat 20 in Fig. 7 to increase the flexibility.

Figs. 9 and 12 relate to a valve apparatus of large size, in whichthetrimming'ofthe parts is facilitated by disposing the base portion ofthe said valve disk in a'recess which isformed in the bore of said valvedisk. The device is arranged as follows. :Attapered me1nber'21 (Fig. 10)is placed in contact with the supporting portion 22. By-applying thepressure against the part 23"the said member will be straightened outand will fit permanently into the recess, aszshown in-Fig. 9.

In this valve apparatus, the cap 6 is held adjustment.

by the wings or lugs 24 of polygonal form, and in each edge is pierced ahole 9 in which may be engaged a stop pin 17 (Fig. 4) which makescontactwith the polygonal part 18 whose number of sides differs from the numberprovided on the cap 21. The said apparatus, which herein occupies thevertical position, comprises two grooves 25 and 26 which. eliminate+byithe needle valves 27 and .28.'-'any liquid fuel which may have condensedin the supply chamber 16.

Fig. 13 -shows a further modification, in

3 which-the spring 4 abuts at one end against a washer 29 which ispinnedto the main axle or spindle, and at the other end against anotched disk 5 which is in direct ,contact with lthe diskl by means ofits separately secured base.

.Fig-.14 represents a cap 6 which is secured to the valve disk lbythesplit pin30 in serted into. holes which are pierced .concen- Itricallyand-at the same radial distance in the cap 6 and the valve disk 1,employing howevera different number ofholes .in the two parts so as toInallthese.figures,the device is'actuated by means offlat parts formedon the driving shaft'32 and on the axle 10 of theapparatus,

providefor a wide range off" these flat parts being drawn forward by- 9meansof the flat disk 31pierced with a crossshaped aperture (Fig. 11).The fiuidtig-htness of thecap, which is herein obtained by a packingmember 33 interposed betweenthe disk 1 and the cap 6.in theendof-thelatter,

mightbe obtained byplacing the said packing member 33 under the nut andbetweenthe .base of said nut and the flange 18 extending outwardly ofthediskl;

Referring-to Figs. 16 to 19, the severalparts. are disposed as follows.The driving axle. 41, which is externally notched,ias at 40,

.servesto rotate the valve disk 42provided -with internal projections-bymeans ofthe intermediate ring43 comprising external projections. Thevalve disk 42 -is V urged against the polished surface of the member .44by theaction of the spring 45 which abuts against the pin 46 .of thedriving shaft. [In this device. the disk 42 of the valve apparatus isupwardly extended and is pierced with two lateral holes 47 incoincidence withtwo respective notches48 ofthe'cap-shaped nut 49 whichis held-with the use :of a fluidtight packing. member 50 upon the valvedisk '42,

thus allowing the pin. 51 to stop the said: capshaped nut. and toactuate the socket 52 by means of two notches formedtherein and engagingthe pin 51. In thesaid socket is formed-a safety notch 5.3 foractuatingthe above-mentioned auxiliary control; a tapered part 54 forms a rotaryvalve against the cover of the main body of the 'valveapparatus duringthe injection of -the carburetted and compressedrair, and it assuresthe-absolute fluidtightness of the apparatus during this period. Thespring 55 abuts at one end against the said actuating pin, and at theother end it urges the valve upon its seat, which action is alsoexercised by the air pressure on the said valve. The oil grooves 56 maybe formed in the cylindrical part of the valve, to retain the excess ofoil.

In Fig. 17 the axle 58 for the auxiliary control, which forms a valve,comprises a double tapered part, thus providing a con tact joint at 59under the effect of the internal pressure when the engine is started,and of the spring of the valve apparatus, or this part may make contactat 60, due to the reaction of the auxiliary control, for example. Thedevice is actuated by the movable socket 61 which is slotted at 62 (Fig.18) at the upper part, and the drive is also effected by the twoprojections 63 (Fig. 19) engaging the respective notches 64: in thedriving disk. The said notches also serve to stop the cap-shaped nut 65.This device permits bringing the controlling point for the auxilarycontrol to a point near the joint at the smooth surface of the seatingof the valve disk thus obviating as far as possible the prejudicialreactions upon said valve disk due to an eccentric position.

Obviously, the constructional dispositions herein described are givensolely by way of example, and the shape, size and material of theseveral parts may be modified according to circumstances withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

Claims:

1. In a valve apparatus for the supply of explosive mixture to thecylinders of internal combustion engines, an actuating axle, a valvedisk, a valve seat, a disk having internal and external notches andactuating said valve disk, and a spring outside the actuating axleadapted to apply said valve disk upon said valve seat.

2. In a valve apparatus as claimed in claim 1, a valve disk, a capforming a nut for said disk having holes therein, and a pin traversingone of the holes in the cap and entering a corresponding hole in thevalve disk.

3. In a valve apparatus as claimed in claim 1, two grooves provided, onewithin and the other without the friction surface of the valve disk, andvalve means associated with said grooves whereby the collecting of condensed gasoline in the valve chamber is prevented.

4. In a valve apparatus for the supply of explosive mixture to thecylinders of internal combustion engines, an actuating axle, a valveseat, a valve disk, said actuating axle being adapted to rotate saidvalve disk, spring means associated with said valve disk for maintainingit against said valve seat, an upward extension on said valve disk, acontrolling socket, means connected with

